


Brotherly Bonding

by nerdfighter721



Category: Nothing Much to Do
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-05
Updated: 2015-03-05
Packaged: 2018-03-16 12:15:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3487922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerdfighter721/pseuds/nerdfighter721
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pedro and John have a conversation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Brotherly Bonding

**Brotherly Bonding**

One of John’s biggest problems with his brother was how much he lied. How much he lied to everyone around him. How much he lied to himself. He would lie to seem ‘normal’ to the people around him, the people who he called his friends. To John that bothered him. Pedro would never try to be his own person. No, he would only be what people expected him to be. His dear older brother would then force these norms onto John, which was when John completely lost it.

After the _Hero incident_ , the two brothers talked a lot more. Family meetings happened where all of them talked more, but that didn’t do very much for John. What he finally took to heart was late one night sitting in his brother’s bedroom.

Pedro was lying on his bed, tossing his phone into the air and catching it again. John had been watching a clock that was ticking every two seconds instead of one, it was aggravating him.

When Pedro’s phone vibrated in the air, he fumbled to catch it, ending up landing on his face. John rolled his eyes, “Good one, Pedro.”

Pedro shook his head, unlocking his phone and reading the message. This was the third time that John had seen Pedro grin like an idiot when responding back to whoever they were. Right before Pedro locked his phone again, John had gotten a glance at the name. **Balthy**.

Balthazar Jones. John wasn’t that surprised, the poor guys liked Pedro since probably year nine. Oblivious Pedro, though, didn’t get it, not even when Balthazar wrote a _song_ about how wonderful Pedro was. Or, John thought, he was – once again, changing himself so that he fit a social norm. The thought alone made John sneer.

“John, I think I should tell you something.” Pedro said, still looking at the phone screen, “I can’t tell mum or dad because _who knows_ what they say.”

John turned to face his brother completely, “The ‘perfect Pedro’-” Pedro grimaced, which was the reaction John wanted, knowing how much he hated being called that, “Dad and Ann would never be against whatever you have to say.”

“ _John_.” Pedro looked up at his little brother, and John was slightly taken aback by the pain that evident on his face, “I think I’m – I _think_ I may like – but I can’t be, right? That’s something you’re supposed to already know by now.” He ran a hand through his hair, causing it to stick up in every possible direction, “Right?”

Even though Pedro wasn’t explaining himself completely, John started to understand where this was going. He nodded slowly, “I think that this past few months have proved that you – _we_ – are still learning new things from experiences that are happening daily.”

“This is different – I shouldn’t just suddenly – I don’t know how to say-” Pedro’s phone vibrated, grabbing his attention again. He read through another message and smiled, then looked up at his brother, looking absolutely confused.

“Just say it Pedro, that’s all you need to do. I’m the only one here, no one else can hear you.” John responded.

Pedro shook his head, “That’s just it, John. I don’t know why to say. I don’t know how to explain it. I still like girls but I also think something is developing between Balthazar and me. And… and-” Pedro swallowed, “And I’m okay with that. I’m _hoping_ that something more than a friendship is between us.”

John started to realize something, Pedro wasn’t hiding this because it pulled him away from the norm, he was actually confused about his feelings. That was something that John was glad to see in his brother, he’s not trying to fight it off either.

He ran a hand through his hair before taking a deep breath and typing something out on his phone to Balthazar, a smile hidden away on his face. Finally, after he sent the message, he looked back at his little brother, “I’ve been looking into something to explain what it was I was feeling-” John couldn’t help but roll his eyes at his brother, but Pedro wasn’t focusing on him enough to notice, “and I think I found the answer?”

“Just say it. It’ll be easier after saying it aloud to someone else.” John said, then realized it sounded like he was speaking from experience, which Pedro didn’t need to know about, but Pedro still wasn’t focusing on his brother enough to realize.

“I _think_ – I _might_ be… bisexual?” Pedro ended it with a question mark instead of a period, but he did pause after he said it and looked down at his phone – where Balthazar had timed another text to him perfectly. This time, though, Pedro looked at John worryingly, “But Balthazar wouldn’t go for me, though, would he? He has a huge group of guys who aren't as much of an asshat as I am, who haven’t done all the shit things that I’ve done.” He gestured to his phone, “I feel like these text messages are just putting my hopes up.”

John stared at his brother in complete disbelief for a moment, before realizing that he _actually_ thought that. Finally, he shook his head and held out his hand, “Pedro, give me your phone.”

Pedro, taken aback, grabbed his phone, “Why?”

“I’m going to show you how Balthazar feels. Just give me your phone.” John said, still not understand how thick Pedro could be.

Pedro handed John his phone – which was locked – but John got the password on the second try and pulled up YouTube. He searched for ‘An Ode’ and rolled his eyes as he saw the description that Pedro had written under the video, he is such an oblivious guy, John honestly felt sorry for Balthazar.

As the song began, John handed the phone back to its owner, “Listen to what Balthazar says. _Really_ listen to him.”

“How is this going to help-” Pedro started but John cut him off with a shake of his head. Pedro just shrugged and listened to the song. Of course, Pedro cringed at the verse of what a great guy that he was, but he started to hear a different meaning that he completely ignored when Balthazar had played the song for him. Sure, Pedro wondered if there could be another meaning to the song when he first heard it, but he pushed that thought away from him. _It was just Balthy making me feel better, making me laugh as always_ , Pedro had told himself again and again. Now though, with _John_ saying that there was another meaning, Pedro didn’t think that he could deny it any longer.

John waited a minute after the song before he finally spoke up, since Pedro was sitting in silence, “So? Do you realize now that your feelings aren’t one-sided?”

Pedro ran a hand through his hair, “I need to talk to Balthazar now.”

“Hang on,” John said, unable to keep himself from asking before his brother took off to Balthazar’s house, “I need to make sure of something first.”

“What is it?” Pedro asked, taken by surprise at his brother.

“You’re not going to try and hide this from everyone, are you? You aren't going to try and push yourself into the ‘norm’ of everything again? You’re actually going to allow yourself to have these feelings without hiding away?”

Pedro looked at his brother for a moment, the two of them had had this conversation about Pedro following society without much thought to how he may _actually_ feel. The fact that he had implanted it into John’s head so deep that he would ask that right now felt weird to Pedro, like he was doing something wrong – which he kind of had been prior to everything that happened. Pedro shook his head, putting his hand on his little brothers shoulder – who didn’t shrug it off like he used to, “No John, I’m not going to. I’m not promising that I can just come out and tell everyone, but I’m not going to pretend like there is nothing there. I _can’t_. For both my own sake and Balthazar’s.”

John smiled, actually smiled, finally proud that his brother was becoming his own person. Still smirking, he stood up, “Well, go get Balthazar. I promise I won’t tell Ann or Dad until you’re ready.”

“Thank you, John.” Pedro said, grabbing his phone where he had gotten a text from Balthazar. He read it quickly and smiled, “I’ll be home later.” He slid his phone into his pocket and put on a coat, then, after a second of hesitation, he hugged his brother, “I love you John.”

For just a moment, John froze, but then hugged his brother back, “You too, Pedro.” He pulled away and pushed his brother out of his room, “Now go talk to Balthazar.” He grinned as his brother left the house with a wave to John, glad that Pedro was finally taking charge of his own life.

Sure, things may have gone downhill for a while, but things were finally changing. Pedro was changing. And John would like to believe that he was changing too.


End file.
